1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heater for a hydrogen storage system, and particularly to a heater which is disposed in contact with a hydrogen storage unit filled with a hydrogen-absorption material and which is used to release hydrogen from the hydrogen storage unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventionally known heater includes a combustion chamber where a combustible gas is burned, a honeycomb structure serving as a catalyst carrier fitted in the combustion chamber, a combustible gas burning catalyst carried on inner peripheral surfaces of cells in the honeycomb structure, and a combustible gas inlet and a combustion gas outlet communicating with the combustion chamber (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 9-227101).
However, the conventionally known heater suffers from the following disadvantage: the catalyst is provided sufficiently and substantially uniformly on the entire inner peripheral surfaces; thus, most of a combustible gas flowing into each of the cells is burned at a flow-in region of the heater, and a reduced amount of the combustible gas reaches a deeper portion of the heater; as a result, the temperature in the heater is higher in the combustible gas flow-in region of the heater, and a large temperature gradient is produced in the heater; resulting in a large degree of ununiformity of a temperature profile. Under such a situation, releasing of hydrogen cannot be conducted with a good efficiency.